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Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Siege of Mecca
Book • 2007
The Siege of Mecca by Yaroslav Trofimov recounts the pivotal and often overlooked event of the 1979 uprising at Islam's holiest shrine.
On November 20, 1979, gunmen led by Juhayman al Uteybi seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, trapping 100,000 people and sparking a two-week siege that inflamed Muslim rage against the United States.
Trofimov's narrative is based on interviews with direct participants and hundreds of newly declassified documents, providing a thrilling and detailed account of the siege and its long-lasting aftereffects on the Middle East and the world.
The book highlights the siege's role in the emergence of modern fundamentalist Islamic threats, including the blueprint it provided for Al Qaeda.
On November 20, 1979, gunmen led by Juhayman al Uteybi seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, trapping 100,000 people and sparking a two-week siege that inflamed Muslim rage against the United States.
Trofimov's narrative is based on interviews with direct participants and hundreds of newly declassified documents, providing a thrilling and detailed account of the siege and its long-lasting aftereffects on the Middle East and the world.
The book highlights the siege's role in the emergence of modern fundamentalist Islamic threats, including the blueprint it provided for Al Qaeda.
